Sunday, August 24, 2008

Pre-9/11 Mindset

I can't say I'm excited about the prospect of listening to Joe Biden pontificate for four or eight years. But for those who've long wanted to hit Biden's mute button, VP's often have a smaller microphone than senior senators. And with Democrats looking to pick up seats, that would be especially true during the next few years re: Biden and committees. Overall I think he's a good choice. On foreign policy, Biden runs circles around McCain and any potential running mate.

Which brings us to the reaction from the usual suspects. I'm reading a lot less of the Titular Right these days, and I get the sense I'm far from alone. But an outfit like National Review offering its remaining readers links to undead, dredged-up stories about Biden and plagiarism is both predictable and rich. This, from a magazine that took a huge credibility hit from extremely serious (and far more recent) questions about journalistic fabrication -- questions that ultimately forced it to attach this retroactive disclaimer to every single report filed by a correspondent during an assignment in Lebanon.

It's almost as rich that Kathryn Lopez, on whose watch that scandal took place, immediately responded to Obama's choice of Biden with multiple posts about Robert Bork ("one of the most shameful political events of recent American political life" she proclaimed recently, apparently feeling strongly enough about it to employ that controversial rhetorical device known as sloppy redundancy). According to this bio, Lopez was born in 1976. That would make her all of eleven years old when Reagan nominated Bork for the Supreme Court. Those confirmation hearings must have really left a mark in between treehouse hijinks, jodhpurs, and chapters of Nancy Drew (note: Lopez was referring to the 1991 Clarence Thomas confirmation in the above quote - my mistake).

Is foreign policy vis-a-vis terrorism the most important issue or isn't it? If it is, as some have argued incessantly since 9/11, then frame the case against Biden in that context -- with generous references to "appeasement" from those who hold their own readers in particularly low regard -- instead of dusty links to plagiarism and Robert Bork. Or, in light of Biden's universally acknowledged expertise, is that not possible?

6 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the fact that, as soon as Biden was picked, they started running the video of him calling Obama too young and inexperienced to lead. I hope McCain picks Romney. I can't wait to see the shots they took at each other play out over and over and over.